Low Calorie Alcoholic Drinks – Drink Wisely Without Gaining Weight

Alcohol is relatively high in calories with 7 calories per gram. When you increase your alcohol intake, you consume more calories and this can be a problem. So, how can we enjoy a few drinks without piling on the pounds? Which is the lowest calorie alcoholic drink?

Calories in alcohol

How many calories are you drinking?

Alcohol itself is relatively high in calories with 7 calories per gram, second only to fat, which provides 9 calories of energy per gram. The other macronutrients, protein and carbohydrate both have only 4 calories per gram.

So, for a standard drink consisting of 10 grams of alcohol, you are consuming 70 calories from alcohol alone before considering the other sources of calories in most drinks.

Its empty calories

To make matters worse, many alcoholic drinks come with a fairly large portion of carbohydrates and in the case of cocktails, often fat as well.

Added to the fact that, with the exception of a small amount of wine, alcohol provides very little nutritional value and can therefore be considered empty calories, the party season can be the undoing of even the most motivated dieters.

Promotes weight gain

In addition to the high calorie content, alcohol also wreaks havoc with our bodies’ normal processes of nutrient absorption and burning of energy.

Hence removing it from the body takes preference over normal functions. This can result to an interruption of the fat burning process, giving extra potential for weight gain.

With a large beer containing roughly the equivalent calories to a slice of pizza and a sweet ‘alco-pop’ type drink weighing in at around the same as 100 grams of cookies, it’s hardly surprising how quickly these calories add up and contribute to weight gain.

Effects of alcohol on eating habits

We have all been out for the night only to find ourselves at two am in a greasy take-out joint waiting for a burger, serve of chips or some other fried delicacy that isn’t really dinner, not quite breakfast but a meal that the alcohol inside us has convinced us we need.

A department of health survey in the UK suggested that one in three people order some type of unhealthy snack food, such as chips or nuts, to accompany a drink, and a fifth stop for takeaway food on the way home after a night out.

Hangovers are also diet destroyers, when the feeling of general un-wellness and lack of energy often leads to cravings for fatty, unhealthy breakfast choices the next day.

Alcohol decreases our inhibitions and also weakens our willpower and ability to make sensible, healthy eating choices along with it.

Which alcoholic drinks are high in calories?

Obviously the quantity of alcohol you drink determines the amount of calories consumed.

However, going on an average size basis, here are some of the drinks with the highest calorific content.

Beer: regular beer has around 149 calories per serve.

Liqueurs: such as Drambui, Contrau and Kahlua pack a calorie punch at 188 calories, despite a small serve size.

Vermouth: sweet varieties way in at around 140 calories and dry 105 calories per serve.

Cocktails: the worst of the worst from a calorie perspective.

Martini: 140 calories per serve

Manhattan: 164 calories per serve

Daiquiri: 122 calories per serve

Whiskey sour: 122 calories per serve

Margarita: 280 calories per serve (large)

Cosmopolitan: 200 calories

Chocolate Martini: 438 calories!!!

Coolers, ready to drink ‘alco-pop’: 150 calories per serve.

Low calorie alcoholic drinks

Infographic: Low Calorie Alcoholic Drinks

The lowest calorie alcoholic drink is vodka with 64 calories.

Now you know which drinks to avoid if you are watching your weight, here are some lower calories alcoholic choices to help you enjoy the festive season.

Author Info

Naomi Tupper, RDNaomi studied Nutrition and Dietetics and Biotechnology. She is a certified dietician with experience in Type 2 diabetes and menu planning for weight loss. You can connect with her on Facebook.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

I found this so easy to follow and understand as some sites leave you more baffled than before you started. For those who don’t want to give alcohol away completely, whilst trying to maintain a healthier lifestyle, your site provided me with quite a few choices that I’m happy to follow.

I liked the article, and id like to emphasize that they are talking about DIET tonic water. Those tiny bottles of regular tonic look ok, but they pack a punch, over 100 calories per bottle. Any tonic, diet or otherwise, carries quite a bit of sodium though

Diet drinks as mixers will increase the hangover effect and make you drunk quicker, this is due to all the extra additives in them that are not in normal soft drinks. It’s best to drink water in between alcohol if you don’t wanna get absolutely wrecked and reduce next mornings hangover.

If you don’t want to gain weight, have an absolutely perfect body and don’t want that wee tummy just don’t drink. But I like beer and rum and I’m content with being soft around the edges, I’m not overweight nor do I look fat but should I end up with a fat a*se I’ll consider cutting down.

I found this site to be very helpful. Some good reminders too. I think red wine (1-2gkasses daily) is a good option as there are heslth benefits. I also like vodka and soda with a twist of lime or lemon: a low calorie and refreshing drink

Alcoholics, no, you’re right. They would rather drink than eat. But frequent drinkers? Oh buddy, they’re almost all overweight. Ever seen a beer gut? And when I go out to bars and clubs downtown, all these young women who are obviously out drinking all weekend and eating pizza and fries all night, yeah they get a muffin top (or worse) pretty quickly. Freshman 15 quickly turns into freshman 40 if you don’t watch out. Not only is alcohol fattening, it often causes you to eat. And who’s going to get up for a morning run when they’re hungover, or commit to the college rugby team when they want to go out drinking every night? Alcohol makes you gain weight. So. much. weight.

Cucumber vodka, water, ice, lime and lemon wedge. PERFECT drink…low calories and refreshing for spring and summer. You can add cucumber slices as well, but usually the cucumber vodka is nicely flavored…I believe that is under 100 calories a shot.

Agave syrup has been marketed as a “healthful” sweetener, but this fact has been the subject of criticism due to its very high fructose content (which is even more than high fructose corn syrup in its fructose content by weight) and its potential to lead to insulin resistance and significantly increased triglyceride levels (a risk factor for heart disease).